


Returning Home

by Oranakka



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/M, Family, First Kiss, Love Confessions, Post-Episode: s19e13 The Undiscovered Country, Returning Home
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:02:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27013192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oranakka/pseuds/Oranakka
Summary: When Olivia comes home one night, she is surprised to see her best friend back in the city after a year away from her.
Relationships: Rafael Barba/Olivia Benson
Comments: 4
Kudos: 61





	Returning Home

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there. 
> 
> And it seems I'm back with a one-shot of our favorite pairing. I started writing it a little while ago, but it's only now that I managed to finish it.   
> I hope you'll like this one as much as you did the past one I posted, thanks in advance for all the comments and kudos you'll leave on it.
> 
> And on a quick note, English is not my native language, so feel free to tell me if you see some random mistakes that I keep on making.

It was past eight in the evening but she was just coming home. It had been a hard day, catching a new case, fighting with Peter Stone over this “imperfect witness”, trying to find evidence. All she wanted was to be home with her son, catch a break and sit on the couch with a glass of wine. But as she was standing in front of the door, fetching her keys in her handbag, she heard her son laugh, and with him, a man’s voice. 

Startled, she drew her gun from her hip and listened against the door. Noah was supposed to be with Lucy, not with some random man she did not know. She couldn’t remember inviting anyone over, and especially not a man. Her heart was already pounding, worried sick that someone had managed to charm her son and inside her home, and the reasonable voice in her head was quieter than ever. Despite knowing that Noah would never be laughing with someone he did not know, she couldn’t help but freak out. She was already debating whether she should call for back up or not when she heard her son laugh again.

“Uncle Rafa, you’re silly!” the little boy exclaimed. 

Sudden relief washed over Olivia, realizing that it was no one else than the former ADA with her son. Many questions started popping in her head, wondering what he was doing here, or how long had he been back in town, but at least she knew the man. And she trusted him probably more than anyone.

Putting her gun back in her holster, she finally grabbed her keys in her handbag, and even before she could fully open the door, her son was jumping from the couch and toward her. 

“Mommy!” he exclaimed. “Look who came to visit!” 

Grabbing her son in her arms, she kissed his cheek and answered.

“I see… Uncle Rafa is here…” she said, looking toward the man, intrigued. 

Despite not having set foot in her apartment in over a year, he looked relatively at ease. She put Noah down on his feet as she saw Rafael standing from the couch where he had found a spot reading a book with the boy and he walked toward Olivia to hug her. 

“Hi…” he said, smiling. “It’s been a while.” 

Olivia tightened her arms around him, not really sure he was real. 

“We’ve missed you.” she finally says, softly.  
“I know… I’m sorry I’ve been MIA.” he answers after pulling back from their hug.   
“It’s fine, I get it” she waves her hand, smiling softly. “Wanna stay for dinner?”  
“I wouldn’t want to imp…” he started.  
“Rafa…” she scolded. “You know you’re always welcome.” 

The sound of the nickname made him smile. He’d missed the way his name sounded coming from her lips. 

“So, you’ve managed to kick Lucy out before I’m home?” she asks.  
“Yeah. I hope you don’t mind… I thought she could enjoy an early evening, for once…” he commented.   
“Not at all. I would have made a bad joke about not letting strange men around with my son, but…” she teased.   
“I see you haven’t changed…” he chuckled. 

She slapped his shoulder gently, her laugh filling the room. 

Noah, who’d been waiting patiently by his mom’s side, suddenly made himself heard.

“Mommy, I’m hungry…”  
“Haven’t you already eaten, sweet boy?” she asked.

Noah pouted, knowing that he had been caught just wanting seconds from his dinner. 

“Isn’t it past your bedtime?” Olivia asked again.  
“I just wanted to stay with Uncle Rafa a little longer…” Noah explained. 

Rafael chuckled and ruffled Noah’s hair, hugging him against his side. 

“Okay, fine.” Olivia said, happy to have Rafael with them, and knowing it was pointless to try to put Noah to bed now. “Let me get changed quickly and I’ll cook something.”  
“Can I do anything to help you out?” Rafael offered. “I can cook something quick with what you have in the fridge if you want.”   
“I feel bad that you’re cooking, but I’ve missed this…” Olivia smiled.   
“It’s a deal then. Noah, you’re coming with me? Help me cook something for your mom?” Rafael asked.

Noah jumped, ready to run toward the kitchen and excited to cook with his uncle. Olivia couldn’t help herself, she walked the couple of steps between Rafael and her and hugged him tight again. 

“I’ve missed you” she said once more.   
“I’ve missed you too.”

He kissed her on the temple as she let go of his embrace, heading toward the bedroom to get changed. 

A short ten minutes later, Olivia emerged from her bedroom, refreshed and comfortable in sweat pants. Walking toward the kitchen, she could smell the spices of something being cooked. She could also hear the warm laugh of her son, and the calming voice of her friend, teaching Noah how to spice the vegetables in the pan.

“Not too much salt, Noah. We’ll put herbs too, that will be nicer.” he said.  
“Can I do it, please?” the boy asked.   
“Sure, but go slow. You don’t want to drop the whole thing in it.”

Olivia was observing from afar, leaning against the doorframe. She couldn’t help but smile. It felt like something had been missing from her home in the past year, and the piece of it was finally back where it belonged. 

“What are you making, boys?” she asked. 

Noah spoke before Rafael could open his mouth.

“Uncle Rafa found eggplants…” Noah said. “And he’s cooking onions with them. And I hate onions, but it smells so goooood. And there is chicken in the oven.”   
“That smells delicious” Olivia announced.   
“It’s pretty basic, but it’s quick to make. It should be ready in ten, maybe fifteen.” Rafael admitted.   
“It’s perfect. Thank you.” Olivia answered, grateful. “Should I open a bottle of wine?” she offered. “Or do you prefer scotch. I still have your favorite in the cabinet above your head.”  
“Wine will be fine for dinner, thanks Liv.” 

Olivia went to the pantry and brought back a bottle of red wine. She grabbed two wine glasses in the cupboard, filled both and handed one to Rafael, who was still stirring the vegetables with Noah by his side. She couldn’t help but realize how calm and how happy she was. It was home, it was her family, and the feeling of belonging was almost overwhelming. Rafael Barba, in his dark jeans and polo shirt, taking care of her son, cooking for them, was the most comfortable sight she had seen in the past year. 

“What are you thinking about?” Rafael asked, seeing Olivia lost in her thoughts.   
“Just how nice it feels to have you cook for me.” Olivia answered, a grin plastered on her face.  
“Wanna hire me as your personal chef?” he joked.   
“You know how much I love your cooking.” 

Soon enough, the three of them were sitting around the dinner table, eating and enjoying small talk. Noah was excited to tell Rafael everything about school and his new teacher that had met the past week, the previous one gone on maternity leave. The kid stayed up long enough for a scoop of ice cream, and pleaded Rafael for a bedtime story, forgoing his bedtime routine with his mother. 

Once Noah was down for the night, Olivia and Rafael migrated to the living room, sitting on the couch with a glass of wine. Despite their regular talks on the phone, or via FaceTime, it felt like they had a lot to catch up on. Just like they used to do, when Rafael was still an ADA, he propped his feet on the coffee table in front of him, and she lied on the couch, her head against his chest. He had an arm around her, and it felt like the good old times. The only difference was that now, they were not discussing cases. They talked about bits and pieces of their lives, their days. 

“How long are you staying in the city for?” Olivia asked, as she was sipping the last of her wine.  
“A couple of weeks probably. I don’t know exactly yet. For now, it’s mostly the primaries, but it’s bound to get more intense.”  
“I can’t believe you work for the election protection committee.”  
“Why that?”  
“I don’t know, it just… doesn’t seem like you. You should be in politics, somewhere in the high courts of New York or Washington, not surveilling elections in the smallest counties of the country.”

Rafael laughed. Olivia had always imagined great things for him, much like his grandmother had before. 

“You do know that I’m not just surveilling elections. I’m making sure our democracy is still safe. And God knows how much it’s in danger today.”

Olivia nodded. She knew how right he was, and couldn’t help but be grateful that he wanted to do this.

“And you know…” he continued, “after everything, I just needed to get out of New York for a bit. This job, it just gets me out of the city most of the time, where nobody knows me.”  
“Yeah, I know. After everything that happened to you, I would have needed that too… It’s just that I miss you.”

Rafael tightened his grip around her, his nose in her hair, smelling the once familiar smell of Olivia Benson. He heard her yawn and chuckled.

“Maybe I should go, you had a long day.” he stated.   
“No, please…” Olivia said. “I don’t want you to go…” she said. “Ever” she added in a whisper.  
“Liv… I…”

Olivia turned around on the couch, looking at him. The intensity of her look was telling it all, how much she wanted him to stay, how much she wanted to kiss him. It was telling the depth of her feelings for him. All she wanted to do was climb on top of him and kiss him like her life depended on it. 

Rafael could see it, the intensity of her look, the way she meant her ‘don’t go’ words. He was like paralyzed. Deep down, he knew he felt the same way that she did, but he was terrified with the idea of crossing that line. He was terrified that he couldn’t be good enough for her, that he would not make her happy, that he couldn’t give her the attention she deserved. 

They spent what felt an eternity looking into each other’s eyes, desperate to take that step, but scared of it. Then, Rafael saw Olivia’s face moving forward, coming closer to his and he knew it was coming.

“Livia… I…” he started, stopping her.  
“Don’t you want to?” she asked softly. 

Rafael bit his lower lips, trying to think how to say what he wanted to say.

“Gosh, I do. I really do… But I don’t deserve you, Liv…”   
“Why don’t you let me decide that?”   
“Liv… I’m in town barely a week a month, it’s the first time we see each other in a year…” 

Olivia’s face had come closer to Rafael’s. He could almost feel her lips brushing his, and all he wanted to do was close that space between them.

“We’ll figure it out” she said in a soft breath, almost a murmur.   
“I’m just going to hurt you, hurt us…” he answered, the fear perceptible in his voice.  
“You won’t. I trust you more than anyone in this world.”

He didn’t have anything to answer. How could he possibly answer, when she was laying it all out to him, so close to him. She stayed still for a few seconds, waiting for Rafael to move his head back, but he didn’t. He saw her questioning look, as if she was waiting for his permission to do what she wanted to, and he nodded. It was an almost imperceptible nod, but it was enough for her. 

Their lips finally touched. Softly at first, testing. She took his lower lip in between hers, gently releasing it. She did it again, and again. Rafael’s hand moved in her hair, gently pushing a strand behind her ear. He felt her shift a little, and suddenly she was straddling him, settling against his chest with her hands in his neck. Their kiss deepened as Olivia granted him access and their tongues started waltzing together in a soft and passionate kiss that was revealing to be everything that had imagined it would be. 

Soon, their lips were parting as they were gasping for air. Their foreheads touching, a small chuckle escaped them and Olivia closed the gap between them again for a chaste kiss. 

“Wow” he whispered.  
“Indeed.”

She tightened her arms around him and rested her head in the crook of his neck, breathing softly. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt that happy and comfortable. He was holding her tight, the feeling of peacefulness washing over him. 

“Stay? Forever?” she asked.   
“Why don’t we start with the night?” he joked softly.  
“I guess that will do, for now.”


End file.
